Animals at Trauttmansdorff

The Gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle animals represent an extra pleasure for the whole family. The Trauttmansdorff animals have found the gardens to be a wonderful home.

In the terrarium inside the Glass House, you’ll be able to enjoy a close encounter with indigenous and exotic insects, spiders, amphibians and reptiles.

Exotic and local animals

A tour through the Gardens brings you into contact with rainbow lorikeets, macaws, Hungarian racka sheep, mountain goats, alpacas and guinea pigs.

With a little bit of luck, you may also see some endangered local animals.

They have found a new home here because Trauttmansdorff has a variety of different habitats that are merged into the surrounding nature landscape. Black and yellow fire salamanders emerge when the weather is damp; in the early morning, gray herons can regularly be spotted on the Water Lily Pond, while warmth-loving green lizards are sunbathing on the promenades. Large eye-catching stag beetles also find a refuge here; sometimes deer, badgers and foxes also get lost in the Gardens.

The Terrarium

In the back area of the Glass House you’ll find the Terrarium, where industrious leafcutter ants, shy lizards, dazzling rose chafers and bizarre stick insects are displayed. Like walking leaves, the appearance of stick insects mimics parts of plants found in their environment, such as bark, twigs or leaves, camouflaging them from predators. At Trauttmansdorff too, these masters of camouflage can be seen only upon closer inspection.

Aviary

Trauttmansdorff’s Aviary is quite large, with an area of 80 square meters and a height of 10 metres, and is situated at one of the highest points of the Gardens.

Lories and macaws populate the Aviary. These birds have all adapted to Merano’s climatic conditions, regardless of where they come from, because they can retreat into a space built into the mountainside in winter. Keepers feed the birds several times a day, according to species. The bare tree trunks serve as places to climb and perch – especially for the lories, which are considered to be the most agile climbers among the parrots.

Aesculapian snake

Visitors to Trauttmansdorff can get up-close and personal with Aesculapian snakes, bred by the Innsbruck Alpenzoo, in a naturally landscaped habitat near Desert Hill.

Racka Sheep

The Racka sheep (Ovis aries strepsiceros Hungaricus) is an ancient Hungarian breed. A characteristic feature of the Racka sheep is its V-shaped horns, which protrude straight out of the head in two spirals, each one similar to a corkscrew.

Alpacas

Trauttmansdorff’s two male alpacas are from a South Tyrolean breeding farm. Since these placid animals feed almost exclusively on grass, our keepers continually guide them into new garden areas so that they can graze there; a nice side effect of this is that they help the gardeners with their mowing.

Ducks

Mallards live in and around the lily pond.

Dragonflies

Dragonflies can cover long flight routes in search of new places to live, and thus populate new water habitats. A South Tyrolean study group called Libella has observed twenty different species of dragonfly at the Gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle.

Japanese ornamental carp

Countless koi, or Japanese ornamental carp (Cyprinus carpio), live in Trauttmansdorff’s Water Lily Pond. They have proliferated over the last few years.

Dwarf Silkie chickens

With their friendly disposition and cute feathered crest, these dwarf silkies are absolutely adorable. Their plumage is as soft as silk, and their feathers downy and fluffy.

West African Dwarf Goats

The robust animals are perfectly adapted to the steep terrain: they have a stocky torso, broad hooves and strong, short limbs.